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Life & Arts

Relive youth by crushing alien foes 

Once an arcade game, ‘Super Contra' is still a hit for fans of shooter games 

by STEPHEN CLEBOSKI 
The Daily Cougar 

The Earth is besieged by an alien threat, and only a few dare to stand in the way of their onslaught. In Super Contra, players take control of two outstandingly epic heroes to defend earth, infiltrate the alien stronghold, and end the war once and for all.

Super Contra, whose protagonist include Red Guy and Blue Guy, is a typical side scrolling shooter, complete with four maneuvers: run, duck, jump and shoot. Red Guy and Blue Guy will perish instantly if they come into physical contact with slow-moving bullets, aliens, or stationary objects. This makes the game extremely difficult. Players might long to perform more complex movements like sidestepping, or rolling to augment their evasive skills, but in truth, anything more would just be extraneous. These four seemingly simple movements turn into an intricate dance as Red Guy and Blue Guy weave death into incoming hordes of alien joggers. Yes, the primary attackers are alien joggers. Human joggers are unanimously disdained by society, but alien versions of the scantily clad runners are abominations and an affront to all by simply existing. 

The standard weapon that the Red and Blue warriors come equipped with are semi-automatic rifles. The rifle is a trusty gun, quite capable of destroying attacking enemies, but it pales in comparison to the upgrades collected from the red pods that soar overhead. To obtain the upgrades, the speeding pods must be shot down, a feat requiring skill, accuracy and, intense concentration. 

Gun power ups include machine guns, laser beams, spread fire and the all powerful flame thrower. The flame thrower is the most powerful weapon to be found in Super C. The flame thrower fires a ball of concentrated fire that explodes upon impact, showering the target and the surrounding area with bits of superheated debris. It also has a charging capability that allows for a "super shot" that blasts through multiple enemies. 

Super C stretches through eight levels fraught with alien terrors. Red Guy and Blue Guy must trek through a ruined city, a marshy jungle deathtrap, an underground science facility and the alien hive itself. Joggers dominate the alien population for the first few levels, until level three, where the insidious hawk men appear. 

However terrifying mutant joggers return with a vengeance in level eight. Each area contains at least one boss with the occasional appearance of a mini-boss, each with its own unique uniqueness and special weakness. The bosses are actually quite easy to defeat, provided Red Guy and Blue Guy are properly equipped and vigilant of incoming shots. 

Super C lacks a storyline, dialogue and innovative design. Yet it still continues to amuse and amaze players with its gun slinging goodness and unnecessary explosions. Super C is played on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, but it can also be found on Game Tap, which offers classic games for download. So blow the dust out of your old NES and go buy Super C. It will be the best five dollars you ever spend. 

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